Cuckoo Bumblebee

Bombus campestris

Fairly common & widespread in Britain.

Flies from April-September.

The fur of the queen is quite thin on the dorsal (upper) side.

The collar, and in some cases the top of the head, is orange-yellow, while the terga (abdominal segments) 3–5 have yellow sides with a black centre; the rest of the body is black. The fur of the male is more variable:

A pale form exists, with a broad, pale yellow collar, yellow hairs on top of the head, pale hairs on the sides of the otherwise black first tergite, a yellow line along the posterior rim, terga 3–6 pale yellow, usually with a black, thin, centre line.

As for the queen, the rest of the body is black.